The Terers Shops Were Still Half Open, and the Fruiterers Were Radiant in Their Glory

The sky was gloomy, and the shortest streets were choked up with a dingy mist. The people who were shoveling away on the housetops were jovial and full of glee. But there was nothing very cheerful in the climate or the town. It was not alone that the cales descending on the counter made a merry sound. Or that the twine and roller parted company so briskly.